In contemporary western philosophy departments, "modern philosophy" refers to philosophy written in Great Britain and continental Europe from around 1600 to around 1800. I teach this course almost every year; these handouts have been evolving for nearly a decade. Like everything you read on the internet, take them with a healthy grain of salt.
Montaigne
Montaigne's Skepticism (Spring 2016)
Descartes
Scholasticism and Mechanism (Spring 2018)
The First Meditation (Spring 2018)
The Second Meditation (Spring 2018)
The Third Meditation (Spring 2018)
Error and the Material World (Spring 2018)
Dualism and Elisabeth's Objection (Spring 2018)
Hobbes
Hobbes's State of Nature (Spring 2018)
Spinoza
Introduction to Spinoza's Ethics (Spring 2018)
Spinoza's Proof of Substance Monism (Spring 2018)
More on Spinoza's Metaphysics (Spring 2018)
Spinoza's Philosophy of Mind (Spring 2018)
Spinoza on the Emotions (Coming Soon)
God and Purpose (Spring 2018)
Leibniz
Leibniz's Optimism (Spring 2016)
The Predicate Containment Principle (Spring 2016)
Leibniz's Account of Freedom (Spring 2016)
Leibniz on Substance (Spring 2016)
Leibniz's Idealism and Philosophy of Mind (Spring 2016)
Locke
Locke's Empiricism (Spring 2018)
Locke on Bodies (Spring 2018)
Locke on Personal Identity (Spring 2018)
Introduction to Locke's Second Treatise (Spring 2018)
Locke's State of Nature (Spring 2018)
Locke on Property (Spring 2018)
Locke on the Family (Spring 2018)
Locke on Political Society and Consent (Spring 2018)
The Dissolution of Government (Coming Soon)
Berkeley
Berkeley's Immaterialism (Spring 2016)
Berkeley's Arguments for Immaterialism (Spring 2016)
Hume
Hume's Empiricism (Spring 2018)
Unobserved Matters of Fact (Spring 2018)
The Idea of Causation (Spring 2018)
Hume's Compatibilism (Spring 2018)
Hume on Miracles (Coming Soon)
The Lessons of Skepticism (Spring 2018)
Rousseau
Rousseau's State of Nature (Coming Soon)
Civil Society and Inequality (Coming Soon)
Wollstonecraft
Sexual Inequality (Coming Soon)
Wollstonecraft on Education (Coming Soon)
Kant
Introduction to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason (Spring 2016)
Montaigne
Montaigne's Skepticism (Spring 2016)
Descartes
Scholasticism and Mechanism (Spring 2018)
The First Meditation (Spring 2018)
The Second Meditation (Spring 2018)
The Third Meditation (Spring 2018)
Error and the Material World (Spring 2018)
Dualism and Elisabeth's Objection (Spring 2018)
Hobbes
Hobbes's State of Nature (Spring 2018)
Spinoza
Introduction to Spinoza's Ethics (Spring 2018)
Spinoza's Proof of Substance Monism (Spring 2018)
More on Spinoza's Metaphysics (Spring 2018)
Spinoza's Philosophy of Mind (Spring 2018)
Spinoza on the Emotions (Coming Soon)
God and Purpose (Spring 2018)
Leibniz
Leibniz's Optimism (Spring 2016)
The Predicate Containment Principle (Spring 2016)
Leibniz's Account of Freedom (Spring 2016)
Leibniz on Substance (Spring 2016)
Leibniz's Idealism and Philosophy of Mind (Spring 2016)
Locke
Locke's Empiricism (Spring 2018)
Locke on Bodies (Spring 2018)
Locke on Personal Identity (Spring 2018)
Introduction to Locke's Second Treatise (Spring 2018)
Locke's State of Nature (Spring 2018)
Locke on Property (Spring 2018)
Locke on the Family (Spring 2018)
Locke on Political Society and Consent (Spring 2018)
The Dissolution of Government (Coming Soon)
Berkeley
Berkeley's Immaterialism (Spring 2016)
Berkeley's Arguments for Immaterialism (Spring 2016)
Hume
Hume's Empiricism (Spring 2018)
Unobserved Matters of Fact (Spring 2018)
The Idea of Causation (Spring 2018)
Hume's Compatibilism (Spring 2018)
Hume on Miracles (Coming Soon)
The Lessons of Skepticism (Spring 2018)
Rousseau
Rousseau's State of Nature (Coming Soon)
Civil Society and Inequality (Coming Soon)
Wollstonecraft
Sexual Inequality (Coming Soon)
Wollstonecraft on Education (Coming Soon)
Kant
Introduction to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason (Spring 2016)